HK shopping

[gerri]

I recently came across an article mentioning that HK shopping by mainland Chinese tourists is/has been/will be (?, can't remember) going down because customs duties and taxes have been instituted and are being enforced rather strictly (because of iPad smuggling, it would appear).

Anybody living in China recently gone to HK, and able to report if it looks like there's problems shopping in HK and bringing things back to the mainland?

[carlo]

Was in Hong Kong last week and flew back to Nanjing. The only slightly unusual (?) thing I noticed on re-entry was that everyone was asked to put their bags through the x-ray machines at customs.

[Muka]

I recently bought 2 new mobile phones in HK, value 2500 HK$, and a new laptop, value 6000 HK$. Flew directly from HK to Beijing. Walked through 'Nothing to declare' at airport customs no problems at all, and no X-rays either. The phones where still in their boxes, which where for my neighbours as they had given me money in advance to get them new phones. The laptop was for me, its box had been disposed of in HK, and I had already started using it there.

I am English, so obviously I appeared as a foreigner, if this makes a difference. No checked luggage, carry-on only. I didn't buy any duty-free items.

[Lost in Mong Kok]

I live in Hong Kong and have friends that work in shops around the main shopping districts of Central, Causeway Bay, TST and Mong Kok and they say that at least 50% of their customers are Mandarin speaking Chinese who come in large groups - possibly tours.

I personally don't really see why they do. All of the main brands are also available in China. My mainland friends say that they'd rather buy electrical goods in Hong Kong, but again, these brands are also available in the mainland.

Is owning a product bought in Hong Kong some kind of status symbol? Or is it that they know without any doubt that the product they have bought is not fake?

When you cross the land border back into China customs scan every large bag. However, I've only seen people being searched on a few occasions. But its a border, what do you expect.

Strangely I've never seen anyone being searched entering Hong Kong. Although I've heard of friends being taxed and fined heavily for bringing more than the legal volume of cigrattes back into HK.

[skylee]

Mainland people like to shop in HK because -

a) Renminbi is strong (i.e. things are cheaper in HK);

b ) HK imposes no tax/duty on most things (ie things are cheaper in HK);

c) Usually new models are available in HK before they arrive on the Mainland (things are newer);

d) Things here have good quality (less fake things in HK), such as medicine, milk powder, jewllery etc.